The West End News - October Election Edition 2023 - Vol. 23 No. 10

Mayoral Candidates Answer Reader Questions

YOUR VOTE COUNTS

By Tony Zeli

On Tuesday, November 7th, Portland voters will choose a new mayor. The candidates include three current city councilors, who are Pious Ali (at-large), Mark Dion (D5), and Andrew Zarro (D4); former city councilor Justin Costa; and political newcomer Dylan Pugh. Mayor Kate Snyder is not seeking reelection. Each candidate answered a questionnaire we developed with reader input to address topics that may not be front and center in other forums.

The mayoral offce is held for a four-year term (unlike other city council seats that are for three years). The mayor serves as the chair of the city council and appoints members to council committees. The mayor must work with the city manager to budget and run the city’s day-today operations.

The following fve questions were developed with input from readers. They address the topics of clean elections (it’s the city’s frst election with public funding for municipal candidates), age-friendly community, livable streets, parking, and urban trees. The candidates were given a 100-word limit, and their responses were edited for length where necessary. We published responses starting in random order and then rotating for each question.

1. This is the frst municipal election in Portland to use a voluntary campaign fnancing program, Portland’s Clean Elections Fund. Did you choose to use public or traditional campaign fnancing and why? Do you support the clean elections program, or do you have suggestions for other campaign fnance reforms?

MARK DION

I did not choose to participate because the amount of funds that were going to be allocated to mayoral candidates was too high. It was out of proportion to what is assigned to fund an at large councilor race which is a similar city-wide campaign effort. Also, I rejected the proposition that funds could be allocated to a potential candidate prior to petition certifcation of their candidacy. Also, the process itself is too bureaucratic which actually hinders the work of becoming qualifed.

JUSTIN COSTA

I have long supported clean elections and am participating in the program because I believe strongly in its purpose. That said, there are some signifcant problems with the program that this Council constructed. The City program effectively disallows electronic transactions, which is a signifcant barrier to candidates trying to qualify for the program. The current pro-

gram also requires incredible amounts of paperwork for each donation, something that’s not required for privately fnanced candidates. These kinds of administrative hurdles signifcantly undermine the goals of clean elections, which are to reduce the infuence of donors, reduce the amount of time candidates spend worried about fundraising, and make the political process open to more potential candidates.

ANDREW ZARRO

Yes, I am the frst person in Portland’s municipal history to take out papers to be a clean elections candidate and to qualify The program is a way to keep special interests out of our elections. With traditional candidates we see businesses and individuals capping out maximum donations, PACs formed to run slates of candidates, and a hyper politicized sentiment like that of our national politics. With a clean elections program, we are able to focus on the issues, not the dollars. I have made suggestions pertaining to the administration of the program including sync ballot and qualifying contribution signatures so there are not so many redundancies and include an online payment option.

PIOUS ALI

The infuence of a few individuals with the ability to fund certain candidates is why I fully support the clean elections program and why I fought for the pro-

gram to be inserted into our charter (where politicians couldn’t amend it) and ultimately for it to be fully funded. I also believe the program will broaden participation to include members of our community who may otherwise not be able to raise enough money... I am using traditional funding for this campaign because I decided to run too late in the process to effectively collect the small donations needed.

Other democracy strengthening reforms I plan to achieve as mayor include much greater lobbyist disclosure... implementing participatory budgeting, creating an offce of resident engagement and inclusivity, and strengthening the citizen initiative process.

DYLAN PUGH

We ultimately decided against pursuing clean elections funding due to the practical challenges of collecting cash or check contributions. However, I do fully support the program and propose the establishment of an online platform for $5 contributions, inspired by Maine’s Online Qualifying Contribution Service. This approach would offer convenience for everyone and accessibility for individuals

NOV. 7th Cont'd on Pg. 3

Pious Ali Justin CostaMark Dion Andrew Zarro Dylan Pugh

Layne's favorite wine shops with wine picks

Mayoral Questions

Cont'd from Pg. l

with vision and dexterity disabilities. Additionally, we should aim to sync up the ballot access and fundraising paperwork, which would streamline the process for candidates and the public.

2. In 2014, the City of Portland joined the Age-Friendly Network sponsored by AARP and the World Health Organization. Two of the 8 Domains of Livability in Age-Friendly communities are Respect & Social Inclusion and Social Participation. What actions will you take to ensure that older residents of all backgrounds are able to avoid the social isolation and loneliness so common among many people today?

JUSTIN COSTA

Demographic changes mean that attention to being an age-friendly community is becoming more and more important. I think city government’s biggest role is to support ongoing efforts of those in the community, whether those be targeted at specifc things or whether they be more global efforts like those of Portland Area Villages’ efforts around aging in place. City Hall can certainly be involved in specifc programs targeted towards the elderly, but the key is to encourage continued attention to these concerns from the broader community including neighborhood organizations, local businesses, and private citizens.

ANDREW ZARRO

The Age-Friendly Network is something I have supported for quite some time. As the former President of the Back Cove Neighborhood Association, I worked closely with the Offce of Elder Affairs and community volunteers to promote Aging in Place initiatives, helping residents with tasks like shoveling their sidewalk, running errands, making appointments, etc. During this year’s budget I supported investing in an additional staff person for the Offce of Elder Affairs to increase capacity for the offce. I envision Portland taking a greater role in building an age-friendly community by investing in infrastructure (community centers) and social programming for our aging neighbors.

PIOUS ALI

One of the top issues facing our elderly is the lack of affordable housing. Being trapped in a home or apartment that drains every penny of your retirement income and savings exacerbates depression and loneliness.That is why solving the housing crisis will be one of my top priorities as mayor.

I have laid out a fve-step plan to confront and reverse the housing crisis, especially as it pertains to our elderly. You can go to [my campaign] website to read more details.

I also currently serve on the board of AARP Maine, and we are looking at how to improve the programs provided to elderly residents and how to extend our programs to marginalized groups like immigrants and others.

DYLAN PUGH

As Portland changes, it will be essential to preserve and honor the voices of the city’s longtime residents. I will focus on establishing mentorship programs that

pair older residents with younger Portlanders, especially new Mainers and asylum seekers. Another avenue to pursue is cooperative housing. We should ensure that older residents are empowered to live in the heart of the city in diverse, intergenerational housing. Safe and accessible public transportation is essential to accomplishing this goal. I would also support senior involvement in community science, which is a fulflling and low barrier way to help our scientifc community.

MARK DION

The frst order of business is to check or control the growth of taxes so they can stay in their homes. We cannot keep squeezing their limited income and create stressors that are debilitating to their well-being.

Since the Report you reference is almost ten years old, our Offce of Elder Services should engage in an assessment of the current state of affairs for our seniors. I did vote in support of adding an additional nurse coordinator to facilitate services for our elder residents. We have also persevered in sustaining the fscal viability of the Barron Center to provide assisted living units for our elder residents.

3. What steps would you take to improve livability along busy arterial corridors and create streets that are bike and pedestrian friendly? How can the city make more parts of the city walkable and accessible?

ANDREW ZARRO

I am a proven champion for multimodal transportation on the Council. We must introduce traffc calming measures such as narrow, two-way streets and raised crosswalks to reduce vehicular speed. We must widen sidewalks, ensuring they are well-lit and obstacle-free, fostering a safe environment for pedestrians. I support dedicated bike lanes, physically separated from motor traffc by planters or barriers, to enhance cyclist safety. Install pedestrian crossings at regular intervals, with priority signals for walkers and cyclists. Integrate public transit stops seamlessly, ensuring accessibility for all. Finally, promote mixeduse developments, bringing amenities and services closer, reducing the dependency on vehicles, and thus making more parts of the city walkable and accessible.

PIOUS ALI

If we want to confront climate change, the work begins right here. And reducing our carbon footprint begins with reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Making our city more walkable and bike-friendly is a key component of that. That means more bike lanes, better sidewalks, adequate lighting, and shifting away from our car-based culture.

But confronting climate change also means taking bigger, more signifcant steps like cleaning up cruise ships, imposing a carbon impact fee on new development, enforcing and strengthening Portland’s voter approved Green New Deal, and requiring commercial buildings to benchmark and reduce their carbon usage. We also need to look into developing a municipal consumer owned utility, so we can stop relying on the multinational corporate investors of CMP to implement green technology. Cont'd on Pg. 4

Mayoral Questions

DYLAN PUGH

My frst goal would be reducing traffc speed, which we can accomplish by redesigning major arterials. This would also allow us to incorporate street trees, landscaped center strips, and protected bike lanes. We should continue to work with Portland Trails to create a network of green pathways to connect neighborhoods and parks.

We should expand public transit options, to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Transit should run more frequently, and we should expand the number of stops. This must be an ongoing priority, so I support reinstating the position of Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator at the city level.

MARK DION

We can “shrink” certain roadways to expand pavement accessibility for bicyclists. Road design or reconstruction should incorporate wider raised pedestrian crossings where feasible to increase pedestrian needs and afford tangible buffers to calm traffc fow.

JUSTIN COSTA

The most important thing the City can do is work towards ensuring that bike and pedestrian concerns are incorporated into the standard planning processes for infrastructure and streets. We’ve seen a slow move towards greater concern for bike and pedestrian safety via the removal of “slip lanes” throughout the city, the shortening of crosswalk lengths by

extending sidewalks, and things of that nature. If we ensure that opportunities to improve are a core part of our street design and maintenance, I think we can ensure progress.

4. What will you do about parking? Whether for residents, workers, shoppers, or visitors, as the city grows so will the demand for parking spaces. What are your solutions for affordable, public parking that is fair for residents while supportive of downtown businesses and services?

PIOUS ALI

The solution to our parking problem is not more parking garages, parking spaces, or parking lots. That will only further harm our planet and ultimately make congestion worse. The answer is a dramatic investment in public transportation, so our buses run more frequently, later into the evening, and at reduced costs for our elderly and low income.

DYLAN PUGH

Frankly, I think we already have too much surface level parking. Large parking lots occupy space that could be dedicated to housing, exacerbate the urban heat island effect, and have a negative impact on our environment. My vision is to convert large parking lots into green spaces, or mixed-use buildings that combine residential and commercial spaces. We should explore underground parking lots or lots that are integrated into housing structures. The most sustainable path forward

is to reduce car dependency by creating a city in which it is safe, convenient, and enjoyable to walk, bike, and use public transit.

MARK DION

Fair is an elusive goal when discussing parking. Everyone has a belief that their need should be seen as a priority. All are valid but our inventory is limited. In that light, I have concerns about how much of that parking resource has been captured by for proft entities. While the City sees a parking space as a public resource to be “turned over” as often as possible. Parking is becoming privatized, which has adverse consequences on any person seeking affordable access to a parking slot. I want to explore this issue and advocate for a better outcome for those seeking affordable parking use.

JUSTIN COSTA

There’s no easy solution for parking, especially around downtown. Like many Mainers, I want to be able to park close to where I’m going, but I also resist ever parking in a garage. I think we need to encourage smart developments, especially commercial ones, that incorporate parking into their designs (i.e. some levels of parking incorporated into commercial buildings). Over the long term, the City should work with businesses to support and identify opportunities to have major employers provide shuttle services from remote parking lots (something like what Maine Med has been doing with its employees).

ANDREW ZARRO

I believe cities are for people, and the automobile has done a great deal of damage to our city (Franklin Arterial example). We need to recalibrate our city to balance multi-modal transportation, including the automobile. Parking challenges necessitate innovative solutions. Multi-story parking facilities, with housing above, can signifcantly increase the number of cars that can be accommodated within a limited footprint. I’d also implement tiered pricing to make it affordable for residents while deterring long-term use by visitors. Promoting public transportation and carpooling can reduce the number of vehicles requiring parking and partnering with downtown businesses to offer validated parking can support them while ensuring turnover. This holistic approach balances the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors alike.

5. What can the city do to protect urban trees and increase the tree canopy especially in more densely populated areas?

DYLAN PUGH

I would promote the recommendations of the Portland Urban Tree Canopy study to increase Portland’s canopy cover from its current 23% to 40%. This is an equity issue, especially in more densely populated areas. We can encourage tree planting on residents’ private land through Portland’s co-op tree planting program. I would also promote expanding the program to include planting living mulch with native plants, which protects trees by reducing soil compaction, retaining moisture, and provides the additional beneft of

increased biodiversity. This is a great opportunity to collaborate with the Portland Youth Corps, which is a fantastic program.

MARK DION

Plant as many trees in as many public spaces as possible. Do what we can to save mature trees from destruction on a predicate that effciencies in land development necessitates their removal. We are the Forest City and that identity should not simply be aspirational.

JUSTIN COSTA

I think the smartest thing the City can do is just to make sure that this issue is explicitly accounted for across City staff, boards, and commissions. In my time in government, I’ve never heard anything other than support for efforts to increase the city’s tree canopy, but no one is particularly responsible for those efforts. The arborist may think about the issue, the sustainability offce may think about it, Parks Commissioners may think about it, but it’s not the core of what any of them do. Similarly, I think we could explore ways to provide consistent funding for these efforts (the Land Bank Commission, for instance, receives a consistent allocation from the Capital program).

ANDREW ZARRO

Urban trees provide a myriad of benefts, from air purifcation to reducing heat island effect to an aesthetic appeal. In densely populated areas, protecting and enhancing the tree canopy is critical to tackle climate change. We must implement stringent regulations against unnecessary felling of trees during development and impose penalties for violations. Introduce tree planting initiatives, encouraging community participation, and fostering local stewardship. Prioritize green infrastructure in urban planning, integrating trees into cityscapes and building designs. I championed investing ARPA funding into street trees in Bayside, a neighborhood with the fewest trees. Trees are critical urban infrastructure that are essential to public health and well-being.

PIOUS ALI

As your councilor, I have voted multiple times to increase tree planting in Portland. Most recently I voted to use ARPA and CDBG funds to start planting more trees in the East and West Bayside, areas traditionally neglected, as many poorer urban neighborhoods across the country are. Although these are good steps toward closing the inequity in tree distribution across our city, as mayor, I will continue protecting what we have while ensuring additional resources are added.

We are the Forest City after all, and we must live up to our name. For the planet and for our quality of life.

Election Day

Polls open Tuesday, November 7th at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Residents can register to vote on Election Day. To register to vote you must provide documents to show both proof of identity and proof of residency. A driver’s license or state ID card with current address meets both criteria.

CANDIDATE PROFILES

This year Portland voters will decide several city council, school board, and other seats. Below fnd candidate profles with backgrounds and why they are running in their own words.

City Council At-Large

April Fournier (she/her) Diné, Navajo aprilforportland.org

Education: UMaine Alumni, Master of Education-Early Intervention/Special Education

Occupation: National Program Manager for Advance Native Political Leadership Political/community experience: I am currently an At-Large member of the Portland City Council. I am the current chair of the Council Committee for Health, Human Services & Public Safety and former chair of the Legislative and Nominating Committee. I have also served two years on the Finance Committee. I have also previously served as a member of the Police Citizen Review Subcommittee for the City.

Reason you’re running: I am running for re-election because I believe I still have work to do for our community. During my frst term on the council I have worked to build relationships with city staff, my colleagues on council, and the community. During my frst term we have also experienced the transition from a virtual environment to in-person, we have seen a greater emphasis on racial and social equity practices, and we are navigating an incredibly diffcult housing crisis that has resulted in encampments around the city. I believe strong relationships with our community partners, state partners and community members is a critical component to working on long term solutions. There is no one solution that is going to fx the issues we face as a city, but collaborative work by all stakeholders is a strong place to start and I believe I have the skills and relationships to help continue to facilitate that work.

Bill Linnell linnellforcouncil.me

Education: B.A. American Studies, Colby College; Certifcate in Disaster Relief, Blackfeet Community College, Browning, Montana; Certifcate in Lofting, WoodenBoat School, Brooklin, Maine

Occupation: Semi retired teacher, coach, carpenter, fsherman; Owner, Cap’n Bill’s Lobster, LLC

Political/community experience: Co-founder and Spokesperson, Cheaper, Safer Power. Led the successful fght that closed the Maine Yankee Nuclear Plant 12 years early. Caseworker, FEMA, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Elected twice to the Cape Elizabeth Town Council. Maine’s Representative to the National League of Cities Committee on Energy and the Environment, 1994. State Delegate for Bernie Sanders, 2016. Long Creek Youth Development Center, 18 years: teacher, coach, mentor, Volunteer of the Year 2018. Staff, Day One Residential Drug and Alcohol Rehab. Former President, Stroudwater Village Association. Hosting 6 asylum seekers in my home since June.

Reason for Running: This is my home. I’m concerned about the direction that the City is going in. I feel that my positive experience working with at-risk, struggling, mentally challenged, and unhoused people can make a difference. It’s time to change our approach.

City Council District 4

Anna Bullett annabportlandme.com

Education: MS in Nutrition, UMaine Orono; BS Culinary Nutrition, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI

Occupation: Senior Program Director, Health & Nutrition, The Opportunity Alliance

Political/community experience: Cumberland County District Public Health Council Member; GPCOG Transportation 2045 Advisory Committee Member. Administers Cumberland County WIC Contract from Maine CDC and SNAP-Ed Contract from UNE and writes and implements innovation grants centered on improving health equity and food security among historically marginalized communities.

Reason you’re running: To ensure Portland is livable for all, especially those with fxed incomes like senior citizens and working families.

Robert Samuel Cady cadyforcouncil.com

Education: Physician, MD degree

Occupation: Physician/Eye surgeon

Political/community experience: No political experience. Clinical instructor for Tufts medical students and medical residents at Maine Medical Center.

Reason you’re running: To do something positive about current Portland issues. I felt it was time to stop watching what is happening in Portland and time to be involved in fnding solutions to our issues.

City Council District 5

Matt Buonopane mattbuonopane.com

Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of New England

Occupation: Commercial Loan Offcer, Androscoggin Bank

Political/community experience: Treasurer, Yellow Tulip Project; Small Business Mentor, SCORE; Volunteer Consultant, USAID & The Grameen Foundation

Reason you’re running: I’m running for City Council because I believe that the rational, moderated, and balanced approach to decision making is what our City yearns for – it is also what will ultimately help us overcome our local obstacles. I believe that my background and perspective will be a helpful voice on the Council as we strive for Portland to be a safe, affordable, and equitable place to live.

Kathryn (Kate) Sykes katesykes.com

Education: I studied Anthropology at Smith College and the University of New Mexico.

Occupation: Writer and community organizer

Political/community experience: Since 2016, I’ve worked with people all over the City on campaigns that seek to reverse wealth inequality, protect and expand local democracy, guard our civil liberties, and deliver material gains to working people. Some of the organizations I’ve worked with include: Fair Elections Portland, the

Portland Voting Districts

League of Women Voters, Progressive Portland, Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, Southern Maine Workers Center, Maine Democratic Socialists of America, People First Portland, Livable Portland, Pine Tree Power, and the Maine People’s Alliance. I’m a union member and have served on the UAW PAC/CAP Council. Reason you’re running: I’m running to strengthen community bonds in D5 and bring the voice of working families into City Hall. My top policy goals are to bring permanently affordable housing to Portland, make childcare available and affordable for all, and develop a neighborhood led climate action plan for our district.

School Board At-Large

Usira Ali secure.actblue.com/donate/usira-ali-forschool-board-at-large-1

Education: King Middle School, Portland High graduate, and Bowdoin College alumni

Occupation: Medical Assistant at Greater Portland Health

Political/community experience: I do not have any prior political experience. I worked on self-directed com-munity health education projects with immigrant and low income communities as an undergrad. Reason you’re running: I am running for the School Board At-Large to work alongside teachers, parents, board and community members to advocate for resources, college preparedness opportunities, and work towards improving the educational gap.

Cody Austin Sims linktr.ee/simsforschoolboard

Education: M.A. Literature,Texas State University, 2012; B.A. English, Sam Houston State University, 2008 Occupation: Warehouse Fulfllment @ North Spore (Prv. Product Operations Program Manager, soon to be full time at home father to twins)

Political/community experience: Community organizer and campaign, 10 years (issues include paid sick leave, raising minimum

wage, hazard pay, rent control, milk bank access, utility reform, campaign fnance reform, and multiple Texas congressional races). Chair, Portland Rent Board, April 2020 - April 2021. Co-chair, Maine Public Power, 2022 (collaborated statewide to get Pine Tree Power on this November’s ballot).

Reason you’re running: Portland children and Portland parents deserve the absolute best schools in Maine. As a soon-tobe parent of twins, I am running to help make that happen. Because, in the face of expected budget cuts at the state and federal level, and in anticipation of the attacks on equity we are seeing rise up in Maine, I want to protect and help advance the excellent work already done on the Portland Promise. Protect its funding and protect its principles around excellence and equity. Ensuring that every child in Portland receives the highest quality, most equitable education will be my work.

School Board District 4

Fatuma Noor (uncontested)

Fatuma Noor is running uncontested for the school board seat currently held by Aura Russell-Bedder, who did not take out nomination papers. Noor did not respond to our candidate profle requests.

School Board District 5

Sarah Brydon (uncontested)

facebook.com/sarahbrydonforportland

Education: B.A. from the University of New Hampshire; J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law

Occupation: Compliance Analyst

Political/community experience: I am currently the District 5 representative on the Board of Education, and I am the chair of the Finance, Operations, and Personnel committee. Before I was elected to the Board of Education, I served on the board of the Foundation for Portland Public Schools and was the chair of the Development committee for that organization. Reason you’re running: I want to continue Cont'd on Pg. 19

The C Word

A Contemporary Craft Pop-up

Opening Oct. - Jan. / Washington Av, Portland

The C Word: A Contemporary Craft Pop-up is a 3-month retail gallery, opening in October and running through January 2024. Our pop-up retail gallery will offer a colorful, curated selection of thoughtfully crafted items made by over 20 Maine artists. Follow @c_word.shop for more info!

WHAT'S GOING ON

COMMUNITY EVENTS OCTOBER

EVENTS,

Opening Reception: 2023 Craft Apprentice Program Capstone Exhibit

Fri, Oct. 6 / 5 – 7p / Watershed’s Barkan Gallery, Edgecomb

The Maine Craft Association’s Craft Apprentice Program provides mentor craft artists and apprentices the opportunity to learn, create, and connect. Nine mentor artist and apprentice pairs were selected for the 2023 program (six from Maine, three from New Hampshire) and have worked side by side for seven months. Apprenticeships focused on natural dyeing, hand weaving, book arts, wood instrument creation, printmaking, leather working, pottery foundational skills, Nerikomi ceramics, tile making and more.

New work created during the apprenticeship period will be on view in the 2023 Craft Apprentice Program capstone exhibition, on view at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, October 6 – 30th. The gallery will be open Monday - Friday, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., or by appointment, for the duration of the exhibit.

The opening reception is free and open to the public. Join us on Friday, October 6th, 5 – 7 p.m. at Watershed’s Barkan Gallery, 103 Cochran Road, Edgecomb.

Grand Opening:

Outdoor Exhibit Celebrates Wabanaki Culture

Mon, Oct. 9 / 9a - 4p / Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, Portland

On Indigenous People’s Day come celebrate a new outdoor exhibit honoring Wabanaki culture at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM). This exhibit, titled “Ckuwaponahkiyik

Atkuhkakonol: Wabanaki Storytelling

Through Art and Traditions,” pays homage to the enduring traditions of the Wabanaki people, whose cultural legacy has thrived in the region now known as Maine for over 12,000 years.

The exhibit offcially debuts on Indigenous People’s Day, Monday, October 9th, and will be open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Festivities will include a performance by The Burnurwurbskek

Singers, a powwow drum group from the Penobscot Nation, presenting traditional northeast woodland songs and contemporary intertribal compositions on the Museum & Theatre’s front Gather Lawn from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., weather permitting.

The exhibit will be open to the public after Monday, October 9th and included in the full range of exhibits. Make reservations at kitetails.org.

Resiliency Speaker Panel: Caregivers

Thu, Oct. 12 / 5 - 7p / Currency Institute, Yarmouth

The Currency Institute invites you to join host Kellie Hall for an interesting and compassionate Q&A panel conversation with MJ Grant and Ruth Joyce, who will share impactful stories to raise awareness and push for a more equitable and empathetic approach to caregiving. The Currency Institute is located at 701 US Rt. 1, Suite 4, Yarmouth. RSVP: Jennifer@ shepard-fnancial.com.

Putin’s World War III: Russian Journalist

Sergei Medvedev Speaks

Sat, Oct. 21 / 6:30 – 8 p.m. / Camden Opera House

A frequent critic of Vladimir Putin, Medvedev said in that 2022 live interview that the invasion of Ukraine was a miscalculation that “could be the end game of Putin’s regime” because of the enormous drain on Russia’s resources and manpower and the sanctions slapped on Russia by the West. “I think, in the end, he’s paranoid,” said Medvedev. “This is not a metaphor, this is a diagnosis.” Shortly after that livestreamed appearance, Dr. Medvedev left Russia and is now based in Prague, where he teaches at Charles University.

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MUSIC + EVENTS

ROSE

OCT 20, 2023 - 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM

DEADBEAT FEATURING ROBERT RANDOLPH

OCT 28, 2023 - 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM

BELLA’S BARTOK & CONSIDER THE SOURCE

“ARE YOU WATCHING CLOSELY TOUR”

NOV 3, 2023 - 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM

KIM RICHEY

CAROLINE COTTER ALBUM RELEASE SHOW

LOLS: AN EVENING OF LOCAL COMEDY

GOLDINGS/BERNSTEIN/STEWART ORGAN TRIO

TRICKY BRITCHES

PORTLAND

BEN

LE

ANDY FRASCO & THE UN W/S/G COOL COOL COOL

ALLEY (JERRY GARCIA BAND TRIBUTE) AT BAYSIDE BOWL (ALL-AGES)

WHAT'S GOING ON

EVENTS OCTOBER

Cont'd from Previous Page

Sergei Medvedev’s live appearance at the Opera House, a presentation of the Camden Conference, coincides with the publication of his latest book, “A War Made in Russia,” which will be released in the U.S. in late September. A book signing will follow.

Tickets for “Putin’s World War III” are on sale now for a suggested donation of $25 and available here: bit.ly/3tbOGba.

Portland Elks Harvest Craft & Bake Sale

Sat, Oct. 21 / 9a-3:30p / Elks Lodge, Portland

Come to the Portland Elks Harvest Craft & Bake Sale at 1945 Congress Street, in Portland, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, October 21st. Shop over 35+ Maine crafters. Plus, food and bake sale featuring homemade candies, fudge, Needhams, breads, pastries, chicken pot pies. Lunch is available from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., featuring homemade haddock chowder, pasta, salad, fries and more. 50/50 raffe. FREE ADMISSION. Plenty of parking!

The Hill Arts (formerly St. Lawrence Arts) has a new name, look and feel! However, the mission and commitment remain the same:

Arts & Culture

Neighborhood & Community

Historic Preservaton

Christine Grimando: ReCode is a generational opportunity to make real change

Every month PelotonLabs co-founder Liz Trice interviews a local community member. This month, Liz caught up with Christine Grimando, the director of Planning and Urban Development for the City of Portland and the lead overseeing ReCode, the effort to rewrite the City’s over sixty-year-old land use code.

First, why does land use zoning matter?

Zoning affects the size and look of a city’s buildings, streets, open spaces, and what businesses, housing, and civic spaces are allowed. Zoning also impacts the cost and accessibility of housing and the types of job opportunities available.

What are the goals for recode?

What were the grounding principles and directives?

Recode is a great generational opportunity to make real change.

The 2017 comprehensive plan, Portland’s Plan 2030, had tons of public input and is an important guide for us, and the land use code is the technical document that implements much of that community vision.

Recode Phase 1, in 2020, was largely organizational, reducing the document from over one thousand pages to under four hundred pages and creating a much more modern and consistent document. It also made housing easier to build by reducing parking requirements and created a generous new Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance.

Phase 2 looks at the city and its regulations holistically and how Portland’s zoning can better align with its goals and vision. Housing is central to it, and new opportunities for housing creation are proposed to different extents in every neighborhood of the city. Downtown, Forest Ave, your larger scale business zones, will allow signifcantly more density, and places that have historically been lower density residential areas will see a gentler increase. We haven’t released a map yet of where transit-oriented zones will be located.

We also have climate resiliency tools in the works, including suggestions for

landscaping standards, stormwater approaches, and building for food resilience.

Sometimes we hear from people that are scared by the thought of more density, particularly in their own neighborhood. People love where they live, and there are nice things about every neighborhood in the city. The thought of rapid change is hard. People say, “I live in a single-family home neighborhood,” but one-third of homes are actually small-scale duplexes or multifamily buildings. There are already patterns that exist that people like, and it might take relaxing density or parking rules to allow that pattern to be replicated and grow.

I would love for everyone to have the option to live without a car and have access to nature and social gathering spaces.The 15-minute neighborhood idea fts with that.

ReCode also aims to foster complete “15 minute” neighborhoods, offering greater walkability and the ability for residents to access groceries and other services and amenities within a 15-minute foot walk. We mapped where there are holes where we could envision places for neighborhood businesses. The frst wave of ReCode drafts includes provisions that would allow buildings that once were commercial to come back online. I imagine neighborhood businesses in the future may be more important as places to meet neighbors rather than as commercial ventures, especially now that we can buy so many things online. Maybe it’s an ice cream shop that’s open every day for

Christine Grimando, the director of Planning and Urban Development. -Courtesy photo

a few hours after school. Could that be on someone’s porch or a garage in a single-family home?

We currently allow home based business in any neighborhood – think a doctor’s or architect’s offce, daycare – but not a coffee or ice cream shop.

When I started on the Reed School conversion years ago, there was discussion of having a coffee shop, and that alarmed some of the residents who attended the meeting, and some loved the idea. Small businesses can work in residential neighborhoods if we think through how to account for impacts – noise, etc.

Generally, though, concentrations of businesses and services are what make for a thriving, lovable center, whether a small one like Deering Center or the top of Munjoy Hill, or big ones like the Old Port. We want to foster hubs, and the code can defnitely help foster hubs. But please write down any ideas and share with us! What do we do to improve our corridors or arterials, like Congress, Brighton, Forest, Washington Avenue? Theoretically they’re great places for density, but they’re not

pleasant places to walk, especially if you have a baby stroller.

We are looking at making new Transit Oriented Development (TOD) zones to allow more concentrations of housing and jobs that align with transit improvements. The zoning code can dictate what height limits or parking requirements or densities are allowed along corridors, but the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) plays an important role in speed limits, number of lanes, and how wide the street is. So, there’s always a local/state conversation going on.

The Libbytown Congress/Park streets redesign event at Bunker Brewing was really successful, and now we’re planning a process for Franklin Street and Morrill’s Corner redesigns. Those are great opportunities for people to come and give feedback. In many cases, like Morrill’s or Allen’s Corner, the zoning encourages a different form than is there now, but redevelopment hasn’t happened yet.

Is canopy or heat island part of the conversation? I have a vision for narrowing lanes and adding space for mature street trees, and creating small, treed parks as part of large, paved sites.

We care about trees from so many perspectives. We have street tree standards now, and the City is looking at tree equity across neighborhoods as it considers new planting. The resiliency tools we’re working on now that we plan to release later this year would also affect both small and large projects with implications for heat mitigation.

Any thoughts about allowing housing in more industrial areas? I always feel for people walking down the long stretches of Rand Road or along Riverside to get to factory jobs.

The current ReCode proposes more housing in all zones that currently permit residential uses, but we don’t allow housing in other zones, like waterfront, open space, and industrial zones. The industrial areas along Riverside Drive and East Bayside make sense to remain industri-

al as vacancy rates are low, and the diversity of jobs and local businesses there are really rich and important, and if they become not viable as industrial zones, we could lose those jobs.

On the other hand, the B4 zone along Warren Ave is already more mixed so it’s easier to allow housing there. Some sites historically had to be water-based industrial sites, but no longer. So, we can start to include housing at sites like B&M beans, the Portland Company, or Thompson’s Point.

FMI on ReCode

Read the frst draft changes here: https://www.recodeportland.me/frstwave-changes

PelotonLabs is a coworking space in the West End of Portland, with a mission to connect and encourage people working on their own to manifest their visions without fear.

PelotonPosts is produced by PelotonLabs and WEN provides free column space. Publisher-editor Tony Zeli is a coworking memeber at PelotonLabs.

"Recode is a great generational opportunity to make real change."

-Christine Grimando, Planning & Urban Development

-Vision from Portland's Plan 2030

FLAVES

By Layne V. Witherell

This article is about the favor of the week wine club, or natural wine activists on a roll. There is nothing like a jingoistic slogan being turned into a serious marketing tool.

Likewise, otherwise intelligent journalists blindly signed onto Wine Enthusiast’s article, “The Best Wine Shops of 2023.” Sure, their picks are two good stores, and I can’t argue that, but the entire article is a well thought out and orchestrated propaganda piece. There is more to Portland and Maine wine stores than that niche called “natural wine.”

Wine has always been subjective, but the natural wine movement has taken it up to an us-vs.-them vibe. In other words, commercially produced wine drinking bozos versus the pure of heart, the save the world types.

“Natural wine” is simply a cleverly organized, self-serving dogma that incorporates the small grower, importer, distributor, small store, and their social media wine choir presence. In the words of Michel Bittane (France’s greatest wine critic), “Natural wine is a fantasy of marginal producers.” But more than that, they are taking you, the unsuspecting reader, along for the fantasy ride as well.

Using “geekiness and arcane trivia”

(Jason Wilson), together with fashionable cheeky slogans like “glou glou” and “crushable,” many wineries, distributors, and stores have managed to pass off far too many amateurish, sloppy, poorly made wines – while charging serious money per bottle – as masterpieces. All because of the natural wine choir’s hype of their “dedicated community events and fundraisers,” Wine Enthusiast being among the choir.

It’s funny how the dialog on wine has shifted from uniform quality to the hymn of the social good. Jayson Wilson, the wine writer, summed it up, “Many of the wines resemble small mammals that smell of bong resin.”

NATURAL WINE WHAT IT IS

Layne has been a professional in the wine business for many decades and was awarded the Master Knight of the Vine for his pioneering work in Oregon. He can be reached at lvwitherell@gmail.com.

-All photos courtesy of Layne Witherell

artisans, accompanied by likeminded and similarly sized distributors and stores.

WHO DO I LIKE? WINE SHOPS & WINES

I go out there and personally buy wine for columns, gigs, and dinners with friends. If I am going to seek out a $15 to $40 bottle, it won’t be an unpredictable natural wine that is made in a yurt. I expect an experience that will be paired with food.

Yes, I have tasted and spent my fair share of money on natural wines, as well as a vast array of the world’s bounty. They are curious, worth a try, but far from the greatest. I have had the greatest and will gladly send you a list, decade by decade.

There are many great wine shops in the area, and sadly I have room within this column to only mention a few...

OLD PORT WINE MERCHANT

223 Commercial St.

“

Hygiene and consistence have been the main reason for the new world’s success.” -Tim Mondavi

No commercial technology, just artisanal and rustic winemaking. No or low intervention, just you and nature. Natural yeasts versus commercially developed yeasts. And boho labeling, meaning unidentifable grapes and places of origin as part of the mystique. Ultimately, winemaking faws are marketed as attributes. Yet, expect high prices, as these are small

WHAT YOU GET

“

Mother nature is a mean old lady and mankind has to help make wine.” -Joe Heitz, winemaker

The tasting experience varies from the sublime to the awful. Natural wines are a singular experience compared to commercially produced wines that strive for sameness.

I have been going to Jacques’ store for 17 years. He is a big presence, a loud, assertive potentate surveying his kingdom, and this guy knows his wine. The picture of the Torii Mor, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir was our evening’s salmon accompaniment. Classic cherries, a touch of

Cont'd on Next Page

mushroom with a velvet cloak. I asked for a $35.00 pinot noir, and he recommended this masterful wine at $26.99. Thank you, Jacques. Great selection, fair prices. Recommendations galore.

RSVP DISCOUNT BEVERAGE

887 Forest Ave.

Alsatian wines are my hot button, and they not only know them but revel in them.

The photo is of Les Vignes des Precheur, Domaine Weinbach, 2020, $20, from Alsace. Dinner and a show at home (the movie is “St. Vincent” - a Bill Murray classic). Better than Pinot Grigio is Pinot Blanc and its blended friends, which are crisper and more refreshing and vastly more interesting grapes. The wine oozes of stone fruit, beeswax, and a touch of fint. A remarkable recommendation.

Its little Alsatian sibling is Wolfberger Pinot Blanc, 2020, $15. “A halfway house between freshness and opulence,” says Jancis Robinson. Ask Rachel for her thoughts on Alsatian wines – she has many. Excellent selection of everything, including many sakes!

BROWNE TRADING MARKET

262 Commercial St.

You can’t say no to a store that has a wall of White Burgundy, the mineral essence of the original chardonnay vine. Matrot Bourgogne, 2020, $25-$30 per bottle. The ultimate wine with lobster. Bring that gold card as they are the caviar headquarters and have a vast selection of excellent wines. They will pair up your selection with a little fresh off the boat toro – tuna belly as an artform.

In a world of “Help Wanted” signs, the “Big Three” as I refer to these stores have long been a beacon of both quality service and wine consistency.

TRADER JOE’S, 87 Marginal Way

Portland is a city where people have “gigs.” I have three.This column, the Layne’s Wine Gig talk and tasting at Blue (650 Congress Street), and as the “wine guy” at Trader Joe’s. The three lead separate lives as well they should. Far too many writers are more reps than journalists.

Trader Joe’s is a wildly popular store with a loyal audience that expects great customer service. I experience the same, “What do I pair with lobster and a jellyfsh sauce?” questions as many, if not more, times a day than any natural wine store or fne wine shop.

The way I prepare my day is by doing my homework at 6:30 a.m., going to

Wine Gig

Layne's favorite Trader Joe's wines, Barboulot Cabernet/Syrah and Chateau Roudier. wine writer Clive Coates, and I couldn’t agree more.

my phone and reading the blog winebusiness.com – the unabashed wine pro news. Also, for a chuckle, I scroll down wineberserkers.com for snarky wisdom from the pros, followed by Eat/Drink/Lucky and The Portland Food Map. Some coffee, and I’m ready to go.

As to my favorite TJ’s wines, they are: Barboulot Cabernet/Syrah from the Languedoc at $6.49 a bottle.

Fruity, simple French bistro wine for a Tuesday night or with pizza. I was about ten years ahead of my time when as a wine broker in the area in the early 1980’s we discovered and shipped some of the frst Languedoc bistro wines to the U.S. Chateau Roudier, MontagneSaint-Emilion, 2020, $13.99.

A Bordeaux blend of 65% merlot, 25% cabernet franc, and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Quality and consistency, although this vintage is a bit young and needs some air. “This is an impressive wine,” notes

A Last Word on Natural Wine

If I want an adventure for my $40, it will be Alsace, Oregon, Napa, Bordeaux, and the occasional Amarone or frst-class Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo instead of a wine that may taste of Kim Chee or balsamic vinegar.

As the hipsters age and tire of natural wine, together with singing in their choir, they need to look at what is coming. Gen Z (the twenty-somethings) are slavish to form with their infuencers, selfe sticks, Paris Hilton looks combined with their beverage of choice - a tequila-based seltzer with a kiwi/guava overtone made by an industrial giant. And they thought the people who make and sell commercial chardonnay were bad! LOOK OUT!

Tokyo’s Ancient Roads

By Nancy Dorrans

Why go all the way to Japan and not make some time for Tokyo? That was my question. So, I asked a few adventure travel friends to tag along with me to Tokyo before we headed north to Hokkaido for our ATTA (Adventure Travel Trade Association) World Summit.

And so began three action-packed days and nights navigating our way around the many districts, parks, shrines, customs, towers, restaurants, train stations, food, temples, fortunes, neighborhoods, currency, sake, clubs, and ancient trails around Tokyo. Everything in Japan is cute, effcient, and amazingly different. With the help of Google Translate and our new friend Tony Everitt (also attending the summit) we were ready, so to speak, for Tokyo and the surrounds…

Tony, originally from New Zealand, has lived in Japan for about ffteen years and is fuent in Japanese. He is fascinated by Japan’s ancient routes connecting the main centers across the country. Through his active tour company, Hike Hakone Hachiri, he offers both day and multi-day historic cultural hiking tours along these routes.

I contacted him ahead of time to see if he was available to help us navigate Tokyo. He graciously and excitedly replied. Upon arrival I was to collect my bags and make sure to get to an ATM for some Japanese Yen to buy a Pasmo subway card. “The machine only takes cash. Same for the Sim Card.” He directed me on which train car and direction to take. Then he met me at the Aomonoyokocho station and guided me to the hotel. Whew. I had just fown fourteen hours non-stop from Newark... luckily, the adrenaline was kicking in.

Tony found a small local restaurant near the train station, helped us order our dinner, and tried to explain what we were eating and drinking. Then we were on our own for the rest of the very long, late evening… What jet lag? No time for that when you’re with Nick from SA Expeditions/Peru and Gonzalo from Chile Nativo/Patagonia.

With more Sake, Sapporo beer, Japanese Whiskey... we bounced around the subway and made our way to the Never-

land Club in Shibuyu. How could I still be standing let alone dancing well past midnight? Nick hailed a taxi and somehow we made it back to our hotel… It was a bit like the late-night scene from the movie, “Lost in Translation.’’ Bill Murray sleeping in a cab with the lights of the city refecting…

Next morning, I visited the Tokyo Tower with another friend from Maine attending the conference. Later, we were joined by Kristen Gill, adventure travel writer and photographer from U.S. and Baja, Mexico, for more frolicking through our Shinagawa neighborhood.

Day three and Tony put together an abbreviated half-day version of the Hakone hike for us for the afternoon. Now the four of us braved the subway at rush hour to visit Senso-Ji Temple, a “when in Tokyo must see” colorful Buddhist Temple in Asakusa.

There I drew an Omikuji (fortune) for a small fee out of a cylinder. I didn’t know what I was doing but followed the lead of a few others around me. Searching the correlated number, I received my fortune. It was “Dai-Kichi,” or “Excellent luck.” YAY! Good news. The fortunes get worse from “Dai (excellent luck)” to “Sho (small luck),” and the one ranked below Sho is “Kyo” which means the worst luck. If you receive Kyo or low rank fortune, you tie that fortune to a tree, so the worst luck stays with the tree and doesn’t follow you around.

Past the gate of the Temple is the Nakamise-dori, one of Japan’s oldest shopping streets with close to a hundred stalls selling everything from samurai swords to souvenir fans and matcha green tea ice cream. By this time, it was quite hot. So, we ducked into a small cafe for a Biru and tempura break!

We then headed back to the trains to fnd Tony and rode the Bullet train to our hike along part of a giant cedar clad ancient road. Now a Japan Heritage area and a much quieter, refective side of Japan. Here the trees are Gods.

We rested at the Amasake Chaya Teahouse and enjoyed some Amasake, a fermented rice energy drink. This tea house has been serving travelers crossing these mountains for over four centuries.

Mr. Yamamoto, the thirteenth-generation manager of the tea house, met with us and told stories of the men that carried travelers by palanquin, “a portable cart that is mounted on two poles and carried at each end on the shoulders of porters.” He sang the song they would sing to help pass the time on their journey.

As we hiked that ancient road, I couldn’t imagine carrying – or being carried – up and over the cobblestones. Oh, the stories this ancient road could tell.

Japan was starting to sink into my bones... and this was just the beginning of my adventure.

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Nancy Dorrans is founder of Adventure Marketplace... Navigating travelers on authentic, nurturing, global and local adventures since 2014.

Above: Hakkone road with Hike Hakone Hachiri. Below: Tokyo subway at rush hour and Nancy at a Tokyo ramen restaurant. -All photos courtesy of Nancy Dorrans

Nancy Dorrans

Travel Group Expert

Classic Video Game Trivia

1.What hugely popular arcade shooter was a sequel to 1979’s “Galaxian”?

2.Nolan Bushnell was the founder of Chuck E Cheese, but before that he also co-founded what video game company that brought us Pong, Adventure, and Pitfall?

3.If you were lucky enough to have a CD-ROM in 1993, you could play what island-based puzzle game that was the best selling PC game of all time until it was passed by the Sims?

4.What character made his debut in the 2000 game Mario Tennis, as Wario's partner in doubles matches?

Mondays at Foulmouthed Brewing, Lazzari

Tuesdays at Ri Ra, Brookside F+D

Wednesdays at Wilson County BBQ, Elsmore BBQ in SoPo

Thursdays at Arcadia, Locally Sauced, Goodfire online @bestworsttrivia

Find the answers online at thewestendnews.com/puzzle-solutions!

ANSWERS: SEE PG. 16 / ONLINE

TheWestEndNews.com/Puzzle-Solutions

Celebrating 73Years

BOOK SHORT ‘Harlem Shuffe’

by Colson Whitehead

Review by Stephanie Miller

Staying straight when everyone around you is getting rich by being crooked is a storyline as old as human nature. In the hands of two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author Colson Whitehead, it takes the shape of a family saga that is also an homage to Harlem in the 1960’s.

Ray Carney, the uptown hero of “Harlem Shuffe,” reminds himself repeatedly that he’s only “slightly crooked,” but it’s enough to suck him into the center of a botched heist of the Waldorf of Harlem, the Hotel Theresa. By day, Ray is an upstanding businessman with his own furniture store on 125th Street. He’s a good man and a fne local booster, offering payment installment plans that allow his customers to take home beautiful sofas and chairs, but threaten to bankrupt his store.

By night, Ray has a different clientele. Thanks in part to his careless and thoughtless cousin Freddie, who repeatedly runs with unscrupulous pals and needs constant rescuing, Ray serves as a small-time fence for the occasional ring or necklace that Freddie brings around. Soon after Freddie drags him into the Hotel Theresa robbery, Ray fnds himself doing a steady business in hot jewels, necessitating bribes to policemen and shaky alliances with local thugs to avoid getting knifed by vicious gangsters or ratted out by any one of a number of duplicitous, unsavory characters.

Unwilling to toss Freddie aside (family is family!), and still striving for respectability, Ray is walking a thin line. His frst attempts to outsmart the game result in some bad burns and humiliation. With great patience and no small amount of investment, he learns how things really work in Harlem and makes one fnal push to maneuver around the corruption, greed, and violence to earn his share of the pie.

Throughout, he is faced with all kinds

PUZZLE ANSWERS

of moral choices—and he responds to most of them with loyalty to family and dedication to his employees, customers, and neighborhood.Whitehead’s fast-paced novel forces us to consider whether being “slightly crooked” really is a good way to maintain a reputation for quality furniture, while keeping house and home together. Find more book reviews online with Stephanie Miller’s Micro Shorts. This month Stephanie reviews books by Anne B. Gass, Kate Christensen, and Maine authors BJ Morison, EB White and Edmund Ware Smith.Visit thewestendnews.com/harlem-shuffe-by-colson-whitehead.

Bayside resident Stephanie Miller is a voracious reader and bibliophile and spends a lot of time lost in the stacks of bookstores and libraries. Find her online @StephanieSAM.

-Doubleday Publishing

By Rosanne Graef

On the occasion of my hundredth La Vida Local, I’ve decided to take a look back at some of my past commentaries. But frst, I want to tell you how I came to write for The West End News.

If you were in Portland between 2000 and 2012, you may remember Ed King, the original owner of the paper and creator of its Daffy Gull’s-Eye View cartoon map of the city. At some point. while spending an afternoon at St. Louis Church stuffng promotional fyers for WENA’s West Fest, Ed and I discovered we had been together at Hofstra for a year in the late ‘60s. I, of course, was spending hours in the library, while Ed was doing heaven-knows-what. Our paths never crossed until decades later.

When the Reiche branch library closed in 2010, I had written an opinion piece for Ed. By the time Tony Zeli bought The West End News from Ed, I was near the end of my absolutely last year as president of WENA. I wanted to stay involved in the neighborhood and writing La Vida Local would be just the ticket.

In no way would I claim to be a journalist or reporter. However, I do enjoy observing and pondering what’s happened and continues to happen here in the West End and Portland. I draw my conclusions as to why and how and use La Vida Local

to proclaim my opinion on the enchantment, brilliance, ineptitude, or utter absurdity of what’s going on.

Over the years I’ve tackled the old standby topics of snow, trash, sidewalks, parking, noise. Obviously, my painstaking instructions are not being taking seriously, if they are taken at all. Sidewalks are still too often un-shoveled and slippery. Trash is still put out the night before pickup to serve as the seagulls’ breakfast buffet. Leaves, street sand, and litter are still being shoved from place to place by dueling leaf blowers. Cars are still parked between the No-Parking-Here-To-Corner sign and the corner. But look on the bright side — there’s room for improvement!

The West End News has been a terrifc supporter of the West End Neighborhood Association and a real asset in building community in this neighborhood. We’re extremely fortunate to have a booster like Tony Zeli to get the hyperlocal news out. Where else would you fnd out that National Witch Hazel Day is coming up on October 21st? (See La Vida Local from our February 2023 edition for more scin-

tillating tidbits, https://thewestendnews. com/la-vida-local-celebrations-you-mighthave-missed.)

It’s fun to hear from readers, especially when a story has given them a chuckle or touched their heart. Even during the frst year of Covid when I added the Words in Words puzzle to my monthly submissions, The West End News helped hold things together and

gave folks a diversion when they needed it most.

November will be the end of my truly, absolutely last year as president of WENA and this is my fnal La Vida Local. Auf Wiedersehen, thanks for reading, and look for the good peanuts (See La Vida Local, December 2021, https://thewestendnews. com/peace-on-earth-peace-in-portland).

Family Practice on the River is Now Accepting New Primary Care Patients!

181 Congress St. Portland, ME 207-771-0994

528 Main St, South Portland

Monday - Friday: 10 am - 5 pm

Saturday & Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm (207) 558-5881

Irregular Notes on West End Life Happy Trails How

1.Read

Looking

River

a full-service Healthcare ofce providing comprehensive medical care to individual adults and families.

Here are two of the Practice’s Nurse Practitioners that are currently accepting new patients:

Caroline Wilmot, CNP. As a Nurse Practitioner, Caroline focuses on Family Practice and has a special passion for Women’s Health. She strives to provide comprehensive care to each patient and is the PCP for many of Practice’s patients. She earned her degree from the University of Southern Maine and is a true ‘Mainer,’ loving everything that this state and especially the Kennebunk area has to ofer.

Caroline has been with Family Practice on the River for 5 years, before that she gained professional experience at Great Works Family Practice – York Hospital, MMC Breast Center,

Planned Parenthood, Maine General-Express Care Clinics, Richmond Area Health Center and Falmouth-bythe-Sea Long-term-care and Rehab.

Kathleen McKeon, CNP, has been a Family Nurse Practitioner since 2008most recently at Mercy Prime Care in Falmouth. She also has a passion for Herbal Integrated Healthcare. She is a PCP and is accepting new patients as of 9-20-22.

“You’ll never come in for an appointment only to fnd out that you are seeing a diferent provider. You will always get to see your provider and you won’t have to wait weeks or months either.”

Kathleen McKeon, CNP

Caroline Wilmot, CNP

Rosanne Graef installs a Book Nook fag at the Reiche Community Center in 2017. Rosanne has been a regular volunteer contributor since 2014. Reach her at lavidalocalwen@gmail.com.

-WEN fle photo

-Cartoon by Ed King

Green is the New Orange!

Halloween is knocking at our doors, and for most of us, it’s time to start decorating, stocking up on candy, and buying costumes. How do we create a holiday known for plastic wrappers and cheap costumes and turn it into something sustainable? It’s easier than you think!

Turning orange to green

Costumes: Instead of running to the local pop-up costume shop, swing over to a thrift store or Goodwill and use the clothes there to inspire a Halloween costume. Even better, they might have some outfts waiting to be picked up. Or, if you are more creative, try making your costume this year!

Treats: Single-wrapped foods will stay the standard for candy delivery for safety. Focus your candy purchase on whether the chocolate and sugar are from sustainable sources. Do the companies only purchase sustainable chocolate or use palm oil? Avoid palm oil in all products because the industry is a signifcant driver of deforestation and habitat destruction for many endangered species. The cocoa and palm oil industries have been known for their human rights and child labor violations.

When choosing your chocolate, look for third-party labels like Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance to ensure environmental and social sustainability. A recent introduction to my life is Tony’s Chocolonely, a Fairtrade-certifed individually wrapped

chocolate brand worth checking out for this year’s Halloween haul.

Pumpkins: Let’s keep the pumpkins out of the trash this year! Make sure you purchase a local pumpkin, either at a self-pick farm or your local farmer’s market. While making the jack-o-lanterns, save and clean the seeds and roast them for a salty snack. After they have run their course and you don’t want pumpkins anymore, take them inside before they start to rot, or critters start eating them. If you left the pumpkin whole, roast it up and try your hand at a homemade pumpkin pie. Don’t want to bake? Compost your pumpkin! The City of Portland has free Garbage to Garden drop-off sites throughout the city. Or reach out to your local farm; some will take extra pumpkins for their animals to have as a treat!

We can make little changes to our fall traditions that can help enhance our lives by being more creative with our costumes, consuming environmentally and socially friendly foods, and utilizing the most out of our pumpkin purchases.

Happy Halloween!

Bright Ideas by the Portland Climate Action Team (PCAT), meeting the third Tuesday of the month, at 6 p.m. FMI: portlandclimateaction@gmail.com.

COMPOST YOUR FOOD SCRAPS FOR FREE!

RIKKI HELD V. MONTANA

CLIMATE VICTORY!

Charles March, Esq.

Rikki Held grew up in rural Montana’s Powder River Basin on a 7,000-acre cattle ranch. In 2020 she and ffteen other youth, then ages 2 to 18, fled suit to enforce the Montana constitution’s promise to protect a “clean and healthful environment,” for “present and future generations.” Only six states have such protections in their constitution; Montana’s is the strongest. A huge victor y for the climate movement came in August, with the court’s detailed decision in Held v. Montana.

Bending to fossil fuel interests, Montana enacted the Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and later the MEPA Limitation, which forbid the state from considering the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) or climate change in environmental reviews and permitting. The Held lawsuit, brought by Our Children’s Trust, zeroed in on the devastating consequences.

A bench trial was held in front of Judge Kathy Seeley, who heard each child describe how Montana’s climate deterioration was impacting their health and culture. Experts, including pediatrician and CCL member Lori Byron, M.D., testifed about huge GHG emissions and consequent health risks.

In her precise fndings Judge Seeley adopted the evidence presented and incorporated signifcant details into her ruling. For example, she wrote, “As long as there is an energy imbalance, the Earth

will continue to heat, ice will continue to melt, and weather patterns will become more extreme. If more GHGs are added to the atmosphere and more incoming energy received from the sun is trapped as thermal energy, the Earth’s climate system will continue to heat up.”

She found the evidence compelling that climate change affects youth disproportionately. “Children breathe in more air per unit of time than adults and consume more food and water proportional to their body weight, making children more susceptible to polluted or contaminated air, water, or food.” And that, “Typical child behavior and physiology – which involves spending more time recreating outdoors and more diffculty self-regulating body temperature – render children more susceptible to excess heat, poor air quality, and other climate change impacts.”

The MEPA statutes were deemed unconstitutional and were permanently enjoined. This is the frst U.S. decision after a trial that fnds a governmental duty to protect citizens from the effects of climate change. It offers a roadmap for future plaintiffs.

Read Judge Seeley’s Order and docket entries at https://climatecasechart.com/ case/11091.

Charles March, Esq. is a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Portland Chapter.

HILLTOP SUPERETTE’s

SLICE FROM THE PIE

SNACK ON SOME BITES OF COMMUNITY NEWS WITH US… Cruise Portland pilots a new program with traffc safety personnel along Commercial Street during cruise season provided by Laborers Local 327…

First Parish, the oldest place of worship in Portland, calls ‘Rev. Norm’ Allen as its new minister… Celebrating World Vegetarian Day (Oct. 1) the other Portland (OR) is named Top City for Vegans and Vegetarians… In business news… Maine bakery

When Pigs Fly opens a new store in Portland on Hanover Street

The Old Port’s teahouse formerly known as Dobra Tea is now Teafarers… From the world of sports… Danielle McEwan, Verity Crawley, and Liz Johnson, three of the world’s best female pro-bowlers dazzle crowds at Bayside Bowl for the taping of the PBA LBC National Championships Clash… McAuley Residence, Maine’s only housing program for women in recovery and their children, raises a record amount from their annual 5K Walk/Run for Recovery

In city news… Portland’s Sustainability Offce celebrates National Drive Electric Week with an electric vehicle test drive event at the Back Cove Trail parking lot… Portland Downtown searches the community for the next big holiday tree to grace Monument Square… Do you have an evergreen, spruce, or fr that is 45 to 60 feet tall? Contact them today…

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Queen of Halloween

I am the Queen of Halloween

You will do my bidding

Or else I can be very, very mean

And change you into a willy-wog

Sight unseen

Or perhaps a wally-pog

That would be keen

The best candy comes to me you see

And if it is enough

I’ll let you have the awful stuff

Old popcorn or nuts

I’ll let you munch

So agree, minion Or beware

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Candidate Profles

Cont'd from Pg. 5

the work of making sure we’re serving Portland’s students as well as we possibly can.

Portland Water District

Frederick McCann (uncontested) fred4water.com

Education: BS in Computer Science from University of Southern Maine

Occupation: Director of Technology, Beable Education

Political/community experience: I was elected to fll a vacancy on the Portland Water District Board of Trustees in November 2022. I’ve been representing Portland on that board for the past year.

Reason you’re running: I’m running for reelection to the Portland Water District Board of Trustees because I care deeply about the quality and safety of our drinking water. I have been a vocal advocate for testing water from Sebago Lake for perand polyfuoroalkyl substances (PFAS or “forever chemicals”), which are harmful to human health and the environment. PFAS has not been detected in our drinking water and we must continue to protect Sebago Lake and the watershed to prevent future contamination.

PFAS has been detected in our wastewater.We do not currently have commercially viable solutions to break down PFAS in our wastewater. I support infrastructure spending to reduce the volume of PFAS contaminated sludge going to landflls until such solutions are viable.

Building and operating a future treatment facility that could eliminate PFAS is too expensive for the Portland Water District alone, so we may have to partner with other regional entities to address this issue. I want to ensure that any regional facility in which we participate would be publicly owned and operated in a manner similar to the Portland Water District, not by a private entity.

Peaks Island Council

4 Seats

Frederick Somers (uncontested)

Peaks Island Council is an advisory group that was created to provide a stronger voice for residents of Peaks Island in city matters. The only candidate to return nomination papers is Frederick Somers, who did not respond to our candidate profle requests.